“help is on the way!”
Comic Books and Superheroes
in Special Collections
A Display in the Exhibit Gallery
Smathers Library (East)
George A. Smathers Libraries
University of Florida
October 25 - December 17, 2004
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have known many adults who have treasured throughout their lives some of the books they read as children.
I have never come across any adult or adolescent who had outgrown comic-book reading who would ever
dream of keeping any of these “books” for any sentimental or other reason.
—Frederic Wertham, Seduction of the Innocent
“What th-?” —Superman, Action Comics
overview of comics from the early days to modern times. Their
bibliography concludes the catalog and offers current and future devotees, aficionados, and “fanboys” further reading on the
subject. Thanks go to Laurie Taylor, Cathlena Martin, and Trena
Houp for their contribution to the catalog and exhibit, and for
organizing the University of Florida’s Third Annual Conference
on Comics (October 29-30, 2004). It was my pleasure to work
with them on the project.
The exhibit, “‘Help Is On The Way!’ Comic Books and Superheroes in Special Collections,” features comics selected from the
Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature. The focus is
mainly on popular superheroes/comic books that appeared in DC
comics published during the so-called “Silver Age” (roughly from
the late 50s through the early 70s). This is an “era” of increasing interest in collecting and scholarship. The period is also of
personal interest to me, since I was an avid comic book reader
from the early 1960s until about the time I began high school in
1969. As I went through the collection to select items for display,
I re-discovered titles, heroes, villains, and story lines that I had
been exposed to when younger. It was a good experience, to be
sure. The collection held in Special Collections contains more than
DC’s comics—Marvel Comics are represented in the collection—
but our holdings in superhero-oriented mags are strongest (in depth
and breadth) in titles published by DC.
As with other exhibits and accompanying publications and
programs, several individuals provided time and talent to help
get the job done. Susan Lupi processed our comics collection
and created a database that made it possible for me to select
and locate items for the exhibit. Her work also facilitates the
collection’s use by students, scholars, and others interested in
its contents. Mil Willis and student assistants in Special Collections (Andrew Riggs, Sergio Borges, Luis Loayza, and Reza
Hajikondestani) scanned covers and pages for use in the exhibit
and the catalog. Barbara Hood created the catalog, shepherded
the creation of the exhibit’s interpretative and illustrative material, and publicized the various programs and events related to
the exhibit. Others providing technical expertise and assistance
include Joe Aufmuth, John Freund, Bill Hanssen and Russ Fairman. I am delighted to acknowledge the generous financial support of the Howe Society.
As it turns out, the heroes and magazines selected comprise to a
large extent the composition of The Justice League of America.
This super-group, predated by the Justice Society of America
(from the DC “Golden Age”), features Superman, Batman, the
Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Aquaman, the
Atom, the Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. Therefore,
the display begins with Superman, regarded as the first superhero, and then moves on to Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and
so on. We try to discuss a bit of the hero’s history (in the world of
comic book superheroes and in print), beginning with the hero’s
first appearance in the Golden Age, revival in the Silver Age,
and through the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Information about the individual comics in the exhibit includes
title of the featured story, publication information about the title
in which the story appeared, and (when available) the writer(s)
of the story and the artist(s). Naturally, there are abundant illustrations throughout the catalog and in the exhibit because, of
course, comics are a combination of words and images.
The idea to showcase holdings from our comics collection came
from Rita Smith, Curator of the Baldwin Library, but I was glad
to take the lead on the exhibit. Some days the work progressed
more slowly than others, no doubt because I made time to read
(again) the exploits of Superman, Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and others. I invite you to visit the Special Collections Research Room in Smathers Library (East) to do the same.
Robert A. Shaddy, Chair
Special and Area Studies Collections
Three talented graduate students from the University of Florida
Department of English provided the context by preparing an introduction to comics as a field of study, as well as an historical
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INTRODUCTION
While we aren’t your typical comics readers and we didn’t grow
up during the “Golden Age” of comics, each of us has developed personal enjoyment and professional respect for comics.
Although we buy comics for pleasure reading, we also recognize their cultural importance and their influence on other forms.
We find comics fascinating for their interplay between image
and text, and we study this interplay as it applies to comics,
children’s picture books, digital media such as video games and
other forms of visual rhetoric.
Later, these comic strips were bound together and sold as books.
From these, comic books in their contemporary form arose.
Along with this, comics moved from being an adult’s medium in
newspapers to a comic book medium, which was often believed
to be for a younger audience. Early comic books presented many
genres, including romance, mystery, horror, action, and many
others. Horror comics were some of the most popular, with titles
like Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, which regularly featured zombies and other monsters along with murder,
betrayal, and sex. In 1954 at the urging of Senator Joseph McCarthy and Frederic Wertham, the comics code was enacted.
Comics in the Early Days
Comics bearing the approval of the comics code removed almost
all sex, blood, horror, and graphic depictions of violence. The
code also required several stifling conditions, including that divorce could never be shown positively and “policemen, judges,
government officials, and respected institutions shall never be
presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established
authority” (Comics Code).
Comics have long been regarded as popular and disposable reading for all ages. Now preservationists and collectors meticulously
place comics in mylar plastic bags to protect them and to keep
them for years to come. Many have recognized the need to save
comics because of their massive influence despite their often-transient form.
Comics around the turn of the twentieth century were primarily found in newspaper inserts. Newspapers quickly realized
that they could use comics to entice readers and they competed
for the best strips. The fierce competition between two newspaper moguls, Hearst and Pulitzer, over the Yellow Kid comic
strip, led to the term “yellow journalism.” This term generally means slanderous writing, the type that both Hearst and
Pulitzer engaged in when trying to win the Yellow Kid.
Rise of Superheroes
The code resulted in the demise of horror comics. In their place
rose superhero comics with the likes of single superheroes, Captain America, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Green Lantern,
and superhero teams like the X-Men. While these are the most
familiar comics, for most people, the history of comics doesn’t
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Following serious works like Maus as well as more serious takes
on superhero and romance comics, comics and graphic novels
have only continued to grow. However, their place in academia
has only recently begun to truly prosper. In some ways, academic research on comics still struggles to gain the legitimacy it
deserves, but help is on the way. Comics scholars and programs
on comic scholarship are popping up in numerous universities
around the country. ICAF, the International Comic Art Festival,
brings together artists and academics at its annual meeting. In
addition, Ohio State University has a library devoted to comics and other schools are slowly acquiring comics libraries and
special collections, like the comics from our special collection in
this display. Ohio State also hosts an annual conference, as does
the University of Florida. Other schools focus more heavily on
teaching the production side of comics, like the Ringling School
of Art and Design and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Part of the difficulty with and the benefits from studying comics arises from their hybrid form, which requires interdisciplinary approaches. Many schools have begun incorporating comics
into their programs specifically because of their hybrid form and
its implication for digital media. For example, programs like the
University of Florida’s Digital Arts and Sciences program fuse
art and computer programming for comics in the digital age.
stop there. In fact, soon after the boom of superheroes, Underground Comics, or Comix, were born. Emerging in the culture of
the 1960s, Underground Comix flagrantly disregarded the comics code and included scenes of graphic sex, violence, and drug
use. Comic artists like Robert Crumb, Bill Griffith, Diane Noomin, and Kim Deitch all wrote Comix and their works proved
revolutionary for comics. It was during this time that Sol Davidson received the first PhD in comics in the United States; it was
the beginning of comics scholarship in the United States, which
was desperately needed.
Another revolutionary moment in comic history occurred in
1978, when Will Eisner, famous for his work on comic strips,
comic books, and comics for military, published his newest
work, A Contract with God, as a graphic novel. Eisner explained
that he wanted to use the term graphic novel instead of comic
because there was nothing comic about these stories. A Contract
with God focused on the lives of several people in a tenement
building during the Depression and their battles with everyday
life and their faith in God. Eisner wrote the story in typical illustrated form. On the heels of his publication came many other
graphic novels dealing with serious themes, including superhero
stories that dropped the comics code.
With all of these programs, and many others that are developing
daily, the University of Florida is helping comics to earn the legitimate place in academic scholarship that they deserve. In addition to the numerous classes on comics taught each semester,
the University hosts an annual comics conference, the comixscholars list-serve where academics discuss comics scholarship,
and the new online journal ImageTexT (http://www.english.ufl.
edu/imagetext/) which is devoted to publishing articles on comics scholarship.
In Search of Legitimization
Completing this revolutionary opening Art Spiegelman’s Maus,
which told the story of his family in the Holocaust, was released
starting in the 1980s in Raw magazine. While comics had addressed significant events, Art Spiegelman’s Maus received the
recognition it deserved by winning the Pulitzer Prize, being
taught in colleges all around the country, and by putting comics
back into the vital place they deserve.
Laurie Taylor, Cathlena Martin, and Trena Houp
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DC: overview of “The Establishment”
Establishment”
the best circulation network in the business. Their publishing
arm was officially called National Periodical Publications, but
it soon became known by the trademark—DC—printed on its
comic books and taken from the initials of its flagship title.
DC Comics was the leading publisher of comics during the first
three decades of the comic book industry and is credited with
being largely responsible for the look and content of mainstream
American comic books. By the end of the twentieth century,
the company had become the longest established purveyor of
comic books and one of the most important and influential in the
history of the business. Many of the genre’s most popular characters, including Superman and Batman, were found at DC. The
company experienced peaks and valleys, but overall DC comics
have been noted for their consistent quality and class.
By 1938 the stage was set for DC to move to the top. During
that year, DC acquired the rights to Superman from his creators
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Superman’s debut in Action Comics immediately affected the comic book industry—by the end of
1938 sales of the title reached half-a-million per issue. DC had
achieved the industry’s first original comic book star. In 1939
Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman as a follow-up to
Superman and the “caped crusader” soon became as popular as
the “man of steel.” Of course, DC’s competitors noted the winning formula and costumed imitators soon flooded the market.
DC immediately moved to protect its creative property and place
in the market by suing the Fox Syndicate (Wonderman) over an
imitation of Superman. The company also went to court with
Fawcett Publications over Captain Marvel, in a lawsuit that went
on for over ten years.
DC Comics began in 1935 as National Allied Publishing and was
started by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a former U.S. Army
major and pulp magazine writer. Based in New York, WheelerNicholson launched New Fun and New Comics, titles that featured original material instead of reprinted newspaper funnies.
The Major had good intentions but insufficient capital and business acumen and soon fell into debt. He sold the company to his
distributor, the Independent News Company, and its new owners
(Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz) eventually built the small
operation into a multi-million dollar company.
During the 1940s DC developed its foundation as the comic
book industry’s Establishment when it established a policy designed to elevate the standards of its material over that of the
competition. In 1941 DC assured parents that all of its comics
were screened for appropriate moral content by setting up an
Editorial Advisory Board consisting of prominent educators and
Donenfeld and Liebowitz began a third comic book title, Detective Comics, in 1937. Detective featured a collection of original
comic strips based on detective-adventure themes. Utilizing their
own distribution company, the new owners developed important
contacts with other national distributors to provide their titles
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child-study experts. The strategy served to deflect from DC the
growing public criticism being directed at comic books in general. It also deprived their publications of the edgy qualities that
had made the early Superman and Batman stories so compelling.
DC maintained this conservative editorial policy over the next
several decades.
struggles. They all could be held up as decent role models for
children; they all held respected positions in society. When they
were not in costume, most of them were members of either the
police force or the scientific community. The characters put forth
by DC stressed the importance of the individual’s obligation to
the community, even at the expense of their own individualism.
Therefore, most if not all of the DC heroes spoke and behaved
in a similar fashion, were in control of their emotions, and rose
above the usual failings of the human condition. Their world was
also under control: they resided in clean green suburbs, modern
cities with shining glass skyscrapers and futuristic unblemished
worlds. The DC heroes of the Silver Age exuded American affluence and confidence.
As with most other comic book publishers, the years of the Second World War were a boom time for DC. New and popular
characters were launched, including Wonder Woman, the Green
Lantern, the Flash, and the Justice Society of America. During the war, DC tried to educate readers on the issues of the
conflict (although it, like other publishers, also featured malicious stereotypes of the enemy). The principles of national unity
across ethnic, class, and racial lines were featured along with
a simplified and positive vision of the postwar era proclaimed
by the Roosevelt administration. After the war, DC consistently
celebrated a liberal postwar order although through added educational features separated from adventure stories.
However, the “squeaky-clean” DC superheroes proved to be vulnerable to the challenge posed by the “flawed” heroes and antiheroes of Marvel Comics. During the 1960s, anti-establishment
figures such as Spider Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four meshed well with emerging trends in contemporary
youth culture and were popular with readers, young and older.
Although DC tried to introduce similar themes and story lines as
Marvel, DC was surpassed as the industry’s leading publisher by
the mid-1970s. In 1968 Warner Brothers purchased the company
and throughout the 1970s DC enjoyed far greater success with
licensing its characters for TV series and toy products than it
did selling the actual comics. Ultimately, Warner Brothers would
produce a series of blockbuster films featuring Superman and
Batman. In 1976 Jeanette Kahn became the new DC publisher
and through the early 1980s several top writers and artists were
attracted to the company.
During the 1940s and 1950s DC strengthened and consolidated
its leading position in the comic book industry. DC avoided
the growing criticism of the industry during this time by avoiding the excessively violent crime and horror subjects put out by
competitors. Thus, when the Comics Code was adopted in 1954
(to self-police and self-censor comics publishers), the content of
DC was scarcely affected. DC spokesmen led the way in extolling the virtues of the Code-approved comics and dominated the
market as never before. By 1962, DC comics accounted for over
30 percent of all comic books sold.
DC Comics was diversified and published in a variety of genres,
including science fiction, humor, romance, westerns, war, mystery, and adaptations of popular television programs and movie star comics (such as Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope). Its main
strength continued to rest upon the popularity of its superheroes,
especially Batman and Superman. The
popular television series, The Adventures
of Superman (1953-1957), served to promote DC Comics although the overall impact of television was to hurt comic book
sales throughout the industry. Beginning
in 1956, DC revised and revamped a number of its 1940s superheroes, and the newlook Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman,
and Justice League of America launched
what comic book historians have termed
the “Silver Age” of superhero comics
(with the “Golden Age” occurring during
the 1930s-1940s).
From the late 1980s DC was successful in the direct-sales market
to comic book stores with a number of titles labeled “For Mature
Readers Only” and also led the way in the growing market for
“graphic novels.” Established superheroes such as Batman and
Green Arrow gained new life as violent vigilante characters and
a new generation of surreal post-modern superheroes like the Sandman and
Animal Man were created. Such innovative and ambitious titles helped DC
to reclaim much of the creative cutting
edge from Marvel although its sales
lagged behind throughout the 1990s.
Due to its historical significance as
the prime founder of the American
comic book industry, DC continued to
be supported by loyal fans as well as
longtime collectors.
According to Bradford Wright (Comic
Book Nation, 2001), DC comics were
grounded in the culture of consensus and
conformity, thus making them the comics
best representing the values of the Establishment. The superheroes championed
high-minded and progressive American
values and were always victorious in their
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SUPERMAN
The first and most important comic book superhero, Superman
looms large not only in comic books but in all of twentiethcentury American popular culture. Among the few American
characters instantly recognizable in virtually every corner of the
globe, Superman is truly a pop culture icon. Certainly there is no
purer representative of the fantastic possibilities inherent in the
comic book medium. Superman became the most widely imitated
character in comic books, spawning a host of superheroes that
established comic books as a viable commercial entertainment
industry. Superheroes have been the mainstay of comic books
ever since.
than a speeding bullet!
More powerful than a
locomotive! Able to leap
tall buildings in a single
bound! Look! Up in
the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a
plane... It’s Superman!”).
At a time when most
successful comic book
titles sold between 200,000
and 400,000 copies per
issue, each issue of Action
Comics—featuring only
one Superman story—
consistently sold around
900,000 copies. DC soon
featured him in a second
title, Superman, which
established
industry
records by selling a staggering 1.3 million copies per
bimonthly issue.
Superman sprang from the imagination of two Jewish teenagers
growing up in Cleveland during the Great Depression. Jerry
Siegel and Joe Shuster were both lower-middle class sons of
immigrants who believed in the American dream. They were
avid readers of science fiction and pulp magazines and aspired
to write and draw their own adventure comic strip. In 1934, the
two hit upon the idea they hoped would be a salable comic strip.
In his striking red-and-blue costume with flowing red cape and
red “S” emblazoned on his chest, Superman was the ultimate
strongman, capable of achieving almost any physical feat. He
was a fantastic being from a doomed planet (Krypton), come to
be in the service of his adopted world. He assumed the persona
of an undistinguished mild-mannered newspaper reporter named
Clark Kent. Superman was a superhero who would retreat into
the anonymity of American society when his spectacular deeds
were accomplished. Here was the crucial point of reference
for a Depression-era culture that extolled the virtues of the
“common man.”
Superman’s origin is part of Americana: born on the doomed
planet Krypton, Superman was launched into space just before
the planet’s collapse. Landing on Earth, he was adopted by
Jonathan and Martha Kent and discovered his Krypton heritage
endowed him with great abilities. He later came to Metropolis,
adopted the guise of a Daily Planet reporter and devoted his life
to fighting for “truth, justice, and the American way.”
As the prototype for all comic book superheroes, Superman has
received a great deal of psychological study. While the majority
of his superheroic imitators were normal men transformed into
superhumans, Superman was born super and adopted the alter
ego of the somewhat craven Clark Kent. Critics are constantly
analyzing the peculiar juxtaposition of
Superman, who could easily have been a king,
and Clark Kent, who accepted a badgering boss
(Perry White), an unceremonious attire, a lessthan-brilliant companion (Jimmy Olsen), and
the constant irony of being in competition with
himself for the woman he loves (Lois Lane).
Siegel’s concept of Superman rested on three now clichéd
themes: the visitor from another planet, the superhuman being,
and the dual identity. However, the creators failed to sell the idea
to the newspapers and reluctantly sold it to fledgling DC. Siegel
and Shuster gave up their rights to the character
in exchange for $130 ($10 per page for the 13
page story). It proved to be one of the most
infamous contracts ever signed in the history
of the American entertainment industry. When
the duo sued DC in 1947, the court eventually
ruled against them and they were fired (they
were, however, compensated for the creation of
Superboy). Only after several decades did the
company relent and offer support to the aged
creators.
Despite already having great powers, Superman
soon developed others: the power of flight
and invulnerability and several types of x-ray
vision. His powers became so immense green
kryptonite (fragments from his home planet that
could kill him) was developed to help balance
things out. Superman’s writers also created a
rainbow of other kinds of kryptonite (red, white,
black, gold) with varying effects on the “Man
of Steel.” Although Superman became almost
god-like in terms of his powers by the end of
Superman first appeared in Action Comics (June
1938) and soon was a huge hit. By 1941 he
was being advertised as “The World’s Greatest
Adventure Strip Character” and was appearing
in a half-dozen comic books, a series of short
animated films, and on a popular radio program
(that opened with the immortal lines: “Faster
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the Forties, during the
Fifties and Sixties,
he suffered under the
impact of editor Mort
Weisinger.
Superman
had to put up with
innumerable
strange,
bizarre, and downright
silly adventures. His
editor created a fairy-tale
mythos that incorporated
Superman’s
youth
(as Superboy in the
Midwestern town of
Smallville), his friends,
villains like Lex Luther
and Braniac, and spin-off
characters like Supergirl
and Krypto the Superdog. During the 1960s, Superman evolved
into a kind of elder statesman among superheroes—staid,
predictable, paternalistic, and usually adhering to the strict letter
of the law. When Weisinger departed DC in 1970, Superman’s
popularity in print had slipped dramatically.
various super-visions including X-Ray, heat, microscopic and
telescopic visions. Superman also possesses a super-brain. His
only vulnerabilities are kryptonite and magic.
Comics on Display
“Superman’s Rival, Mental Man!” Action Comics 272 (January
1961)
“Superman’s Toughest Day!” Action Comics 282 (November
1961)
“The Day Superman Became the Flash!” Action Comics 314
(July 1964)
“The Ultimate Enemy!” Action Comics 329 (October 1965)
“The Leper From Krypton!” Action Comics 363 (May 1968)
“Krypton Dies Again!” Action Comics 489 (November 1978)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte
“The Life Story of Superman!” Action Comics 500 (October
1979)
Story by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte; art by Gaspar
Saladino and Adrienne Roy
The rise of Marvel Comics’ wave of “human” superheroes
like Spider Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four
provided a contrast to Superman’s irreproachable “Boy Scout”
image. New generations of young people expected and favored
the “anti-establishment” ethos of Marvel’s heroes. By the
mid-1970s, Superman’s comic book sales were at an all time
low, although his image remained lucrative for toys and other
products. And, Superman continued his popularity in other
forms of media, with a successful television series airing from
1953-1957 (The Adventures of Superman) and a mid-1990s
series (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman). The
pinnacle of the character’s earning power came in the late 1970s
and early 1980s in a series of Warner Brothers Superman movies
starring Christopher Reeves in the title role.
“…With But a Single Step!” Action Comics 545 (July 1983)
Story by Marv Wolfman; art by Gil Kane and Todd Klein
“Showdown!” Action Comics 546 (August 1983)
Story by Marv Wolfman; art by Gil Kane and Ben Oda
“Superman and the Demon: Cityscape!” Action Comics 587
(April 1987)
Story by John Byrne; art by Dick Giordano
“Not of This Earth,” Action Comics 651 (March 1990)
Story by Roger Stern; art by George Perez, Kerry Gammill, and
Brett Breeding
Periodically DC has attempted to revive the sales of Superman’s
titles (Action Comics and Superman) by making him less
“super.” In 1971 Superman’s powers were halved. In 1988, DC
hired writer/artist John Byrne to rewrite the Superman origin,
hoping to spark fan interest. In 1992, the much-hyped “Death
of Superman” was published. The event produced a short-term
boom in sales and concluded in the “Rebirth of Superman.” In
1997, Superman received a new costume change. Clark Kent
switched to television and Superman married Lois Lane. While
nostalgic fans disapproved, DC responded that it had little choice
but to try new things to reverse the hero’s steady commercial
decline. This recent decline does not decrease the significance
of the Man of Steel on comic books and the industry. For the
generations who grew up with his adventures, Superman will
forever remain the quintessential champion of truth, justice, and
the American way.
“For a Thousand
Years…” Action Comics
761 (January 2000)
Story by Joe Kelly; art
by German Garcia and
Joe Rubinstein
“The Man With the
Self-Destruct Mind!”
Superman 323 (May
1978)
Story by Martin Pasko;
art by Curt Swan and
Dan Adkins
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
Superman has tremendous strength, invulnerability, super-speed
(which can even break the time barrier), flight, super-breath, and
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“Let My People Grow!” Superman 338 (August 1979)
Story by Len Wein; art by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte
“A Mind-Switch in Time!” Superman 380 (February 1983)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Curt Swan and Dave Hunt
“Where Trouble Goes…Euphor Follows” Superman 382 (April
1983)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Curt Swan and Dave Hunt
“Luther Lashes Back!” Superman 386 (August 1983)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Curt Swan and Dave Hunt
“The Man Who Would Be President!” Superman 394 (April
1984)
Story by Elliot Maggin; art by Curt Swan and Dave Hunt
“The Kid Who Talks to Superman,” Superman: The Man of
Steel 2 (August 1991)
Story by Louise Simonson; art by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis
Janke
“Idle Hands,” Superman: The Man of Steel 4 (October 1991)
Story by Louise Simonson; art by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis
Janke
“The Curse of the Atomic Skull,” Superman: The Man of Steel
5 (November 1991)
Story by Louise Simonson; art by Curt Swan and Jon
Bogdanove
“Funeral Day,” Superman: The Man of Steel 20 (February
1993)
Story by Louise Simonson; art by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis
Janke
“Sins of the Father,” Superman: The Man of Steel 47 (August
1995)
Story by Louise
Simonson; art by Jon
Bogdanove and Dennis
Janke
“To Save a World,”
Superman For Earth
(1991)
Story by Roger Stern;
art by Kerry Gammill
and Dennis Janke
10
batman
Batman is one of the most popular and
important characters created for comic
books. In the entire pantheon of comic book
superheroes, only Superman and Spiderman
rival him in significance. Indeed, Batman has
become an American icon and an international
marketing industry in and of himself.
and sometimes killed his opponents. As
Batman himself once put it, “If you can’t
beat [criminals] ‘inside’ the law, you must
beat them ‘outside’ it—and that’s where I
come in!” In his early adventures, he waged
a grim war against crime in a netherworld of
gloomy castles, fog-bound wharves, and the
dimly lit alleys of Gotham City—an urban
landscape that seemed perpetually enshrouded
in a nightscape. Kane was one of the first
comic book artists to experiment with unusual
angle shots, distorted perspectives, and heavy
shadows to create a disturbing mood. The early
issues also rank among the most graphically
violent of their time. Murder, brutality, and
bloodshed were common until 1941 when
DC Comics responded to public criticism by
“cleaning up” its comic books. As a result,
Batman’s adventures gradually moved out of
the shadows and became more conventional superhero adventure
stories.
Batman was created out of DC editor Vincent
Sullivan’s desire to exploit the success of
DC’s first superhero, Superman. In 1939, a
year after the introduction of the Man of Steel,
artist Bob Kane, took inspiration from various
Hollywood adventure, horror, and gangster
movies and prepared a design for a masked
crime-fighter in the costume of a bat. Writer
Bill Finger contributed the vigilante concept
for the hero incorporating ideas from current
pulp magazines. The resulting character was
unique, a visual and thematic synthesis of the lurid and bizarre
representations of popular culture available to a 1930s mass
audience.
A sidekick, Robin, was introduced in the April 1940 issue of
Detective and this also served to lighten the mood of the series.
Young Dick Grayson, like Bruce Wayne, witnessed the death
of his parents and becomes the ward of the older man who
trains him in the ways of crime fighting. Although some readers
through the years have found the character a hindrance to the
solitary image of the original Batman concept, the “Dynamic
Duo” was popular nonetheless. In an influential polemic against
comics, published in 1954, Frederick Wertham even charged
that the relationship between Batman and Robin was rife with
homosexual implications, hence posing a danger to young
readers. After the introduction of Robin, many other superheroes
took on boy sidekicks.
Like Superman, Batman wore a costume, maintained a secret
identity, and battled crime and injustice. Unlike Superman,
though, Batman possessed no superhuman powers, relying
instead upon his own wits, technical skills, and fighting prowess.
He was introduced to readers in Detective Comics (Spring 1939)
and has continued in print ever since. Batman’s motives and
origins were initially obscure, but readers soon learned that as
a child Bruce Wayne had witnessed the brutal murder of his
parents. Traumatized by the event, he determined to avenge their
deaths by using his inherited fortune to assemble an arsenal of
crime fighting gadgets while training his body and mind to the
pinnacle of human perfection. He selects a bat as the ideal persona
to use in intimidating
criminals.
Batman and Robin encountered some of the best and most
appealing villains in comic books. They included the Joker (first
appearance, Batman #1 early in 1940), the “clown prince of
homicide;” the Penguin, an over-stuffed, umbrella-toting snob;
Two-Face, an insane former district attorney with a deformed
visage; the Riddler, a crazed criminal who gave clues before he
attacked; and the Catwoman, a feline-themed villainous who fell
in love with Batman.
Kane
and
Finger
originally cast Batman
as a vigilante pursued
by the police even
as he preyed upon
criminals. Prowling the
night, lurking in the
shadows, and wearing
a frightening costume
with a hooded cowl
and a flowing Draculalike cape, Batman often
looked more like a
villain than a hero. In
his earliest episodes,
he even carried a gun
Batman was given his own magazine in 1940, the second
superhero (after Superman) to have his own title. Batman and
Robin also showed up in the 1940 edition of New York World’s
Fair Comics and thereafter in its successor, World’s Finest
Comics. In World’s Finest #71 (July-August 1954), Batman and
Robin entered into a partnership with Superman and started
working as a trio in that magazine. During the middle 1950s, many
of the original creators left the strip and this ushered in a lowpoint in the Batman feature. Saddled with new and outlandish
11
characters like Bathound,
Batwoman, Batgirl, and
Bat-Mite, and crippled
by poor science fiction
scripts about monsters,
robots, aliens, time travel
and crackpots, Batman
quickly slumped in sales
and popularity. In the
mid-1960s,
Batman
worked without Robin
and teamed up with a
series of other heroes in
The Brave and The Bold,
including Green Lantern,
the Flash, Aquaman, and
the Green Arrow. Those
team-ups continued into
the early 1980s.
most influential. The whole multitude of costumed avengers
driven to strike fear into the hearts of evil-doers owe much to
Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s Batman—an original comic book
crusader.
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
An incomparable athlete, far beyond Olympic level, the Batman
is also a master of all known forms of physical combat, an
unparalleled strategist and tactician, an expert in the art of
disguise, and has been called by some the world’s greatest escape
artist. His reasoning and deductive abilities are second to none.
The weapons in his arsenal against crime include items in the
utility belt he wears around his waist, the sleek Batmobile, the
Batplane, and the one-man Whirly-bat.
Comics on Display
Although sales of Batman’s comics slipped beginning in the
early 1960s due to a drifting presentation of the hero, and the
rise of Marvel Comics and its “anti-establishment” anti-heroes
(e.g., Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk), the
“Caped Crusader” received a boost from a new source in 1966—
television. ABC launched a prime-time live action series Batman,
a campy program that ridiculed every aspect of the comic book
series. For a few years, the show was a phenomenal hit as major
stars clamored to appear on it. Sales of comic books increased
dramatically for several years, but most believe the overall impact
of the television series was negative since the show’s producers
seemed to be making fun of the hero’s many fans. The Batman
show reinforced the popular perception that comic books were
strictly for children and “morons.” Four major motion pictures
have worked to overcome that image and introduce Batman and
Robin in a more serious way to new generations of fans.
“The Negative Batman,” Detective Comics 284 (October 1960)
“The Bronze Menace,” Detective Comics 302 (April 1962)
“The Flame Master,” Detective Comics 308 (October 1962)
“The Joker’s Last Laugh!” Detective Comics 332 (October
1964)
“All My Enemies Against Me!” Detective Comics 500 (May
1983)
“Identity Crisis,” Detective Comics 633 (August 1991)
Story by Peter Milligan; art by Tom Mandrake and John
Costanza
“Burning Questions,” Detective Comics 662 (June 1993)
Story by Chuck Dixon; art by Graham Nolan and Scott Hanna
In the 1980s and 1990s new generations of writers and artists
sought to rescue Batman from the perils of his own multi-media
success by exploring the darker implications of Batman as a
vigilante. In a 1986 “graphic novel” titled Bat Man: The Dark
Knight Returns, writer Frank Miller cast the hero as a slightly
mad middle-aged fascist out to violently purge a dystopian
future Gotham City gutted by moral decay. The success of The
Dark Knight led to a series of graphic novels and comic book
limited series, including Batman: Year One (1987), Batman: the
Killing Joke (1988), and Batman: Arkham Asylum (1989) that
delved into the most gothic, violent, and disturbing qualities of
the Batman mythos. The new Batman industry even killed off a
new Robin (who had replaced the grown-up Dick Grayson) and,
in Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight” work, Robin was portrayed by
a red-haired girl named Carrie Kelly.
“Lightning Changes,”
Detective Comics 665
(August 1993)
Story by Chuck Dixon;
art by Graham Nolan
and Dick Giordano
“Death Comes Home,”
Detective Comics 716
(December 1997)
Story by Chuck Dixon;
art by Jim Aparo and
Stan Woch
Like Superman, Batman has generated popular interest and
revenue from exposure in media other than comic books. There
were two movie serials in the 1940s, two newspaper strips (1943
and 1966), and a radio program in addition to the “blockbuster”
film versions of the late twentieth century. He remains, though, a
product of comic books and it is in this medium that he has been
“The Riddle-Less
Robberies of the
Riddler!” Batman 179
(March 1966)
12
“Tao: Part Two: Dragon,” Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight
53 (October 1993)
Story by Alan Grant; art by Arthur Ranson
“Beware of Poison Ivy!”
Batman 181 (June 1966)
“The Penguin Takes a
Flyer Into the Future!”
Batman 190 (March
1967)
“Criminals: Part One,” Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 69
(March 1995)
Story by Steven Grant; art by Mike Zeck
“Brothers of the Bop: Part I,” Batman: Legends of the Dark
Knight: Jazz 1 (April 1995)
By Gerard Jones and Mark Badger
“Murder Comes in Black
Boxes!” Batman 281
(November 1976)
Story by David Reed; art
by Ernie Chua and Tex
Blaisdel
“Playing Changes: Part II,” Batman: Legends of the Dark
Knight: Jazz 2 (May 1995)
By Gerard Jones and Mark Badger
“Batman-Ex—As in
Extinct!” Batman 287
(May 1977)
Story by David Reed; art
by Mike Grell and Bob
Wiacek
“Where Blue Byrds Fly: Part III,” Batman: Legends of the Dark
Knight: Jazz 3 (June 1995)
By Gerard Jones and Mark Badger
“The Sleeping,” Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 76
(October 1995)
Story/art by Scott Hampton
“Where Were You on the Night Batman Was Killed?” Batman
291 (September 1977)
Story by David Reed; art by John Calnan and Tex Blaisdell
“There’ll be a Cold Time in the Old Town Tonight!” Batman
308 (February 1979)
Story by Len Wein; art by John Calnan and Dick Giordano
“Once Beaten, Twice Sly!” Batman 314 (August 1979)
Story by Len Wein; art by Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin
“Crimesmith and Punishment,” Batman 444 (February 1990)
Story by Marv Wolfman; art by Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo
“When the Earth Dies: Chapter One, Red Square! Bloody
Square!” Batman 445 (March 1990)
Story by Marv Wolfman; art by Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo
“When the Earth Dies: Chapter Two, Underworlds” Batman
446 (April 1990)
Story by Marv Wolfman; art by Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo
“The Last Arkham: Part One,” Batman: The Shadow of the Bat
1 (June 1992)
Story by Alan Grant; art by Norm Breyfogle and Todd Klein
“Wild Knights, Wild City,” Batman: The Shadow of the Bat 30
(August 1994)
Story by Alan Grant; art by Bret Blevins and Adrienne Roy
“Marking Time,” Batman: Gotham Nights 1 (March 1995)
Story by John Ostrander; art by Mary Mitchell and Dick
Giordano
13
The Flash
There are two separate and distinct superheroes named “The
Flash,” nicknamed “the fastest man alive.” The first Flash began
in the winter of 1939 and the second appeared in the summer
of 1956, sparking the Silver Age of comic book superheroes.
The original Flash debuted in Flash Comics (January 1940) and
shared the magazine with such characters as Johnny Thunder,
the Whip, and Hawkman. In this first issue, scripted by Gardner
Fox and drawn by Harry Lampert, college science student Jay
Garrick came by his incredible speed after accidentally inhaling
“the deadly fumes of the gas elements of ‘heavy water.’” He
adopted a costume of red, blue and yellow, and wore boots and
a wing-adorned steel helmet. Garrick’s first move was to join
the football team to impress his blonde girlfriend Joan Williams,
who quickly realized Garrick and the Flash were one and the
same. The Golden Age Flash battled several inventive and
offbeat villains such as The Fiddler, who wielded a magical
Stradivarius, which could force others to do his bidding. The
Fiddler, like the Flash, was also revived during the Silver Age.
Flash Comics was published until the February 1940 issue with
the Flash appearing in all 104 issues. He also appeared in all 32
issues of All-Flash (Summer 1941 to January 1949) and made
appearances in All-Star and Comic Cavalcade.
Mirror Master, a felon
with a reflection fetish;
and Captain Cold, who
controlled ice and frost
with a cold gun. Under
Broome and Infantino,
the Flash became the
quintessential superhero
comic book of the 1960s.
At the same time, Gardner
Fox was using Flash to
develop an Earth-one and
Earth-two theory, which
allowed DC to revive all
their old 1940s characters
(including the heroes of
the Justice Society of
America) by claiming
that they existed on Earth-two. Thus, Broome used Flash for
character development, while Fox used Flash for character
revival. In Flash #123, the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick,
returned to team up with Barry Allen. In the parallel universe,
Garrick was now married to college sweetheart, Joan Williams.
Broome and Infantino left DC by the end of 1969, but both
versions of the character have continued on. The Flash is also a
member of the Justice League of America.
In 1956, while other comic book editors were contemplating new
genres, DC’s Julius Schwartz turned to superheroes. According
to Schwartz, “Someone, I don’t know who, said, ‘The Flash was
always one of my favorites and maybe we ought to take a crack
at putting him out again.’ All eyes turned to me…So I said,
‘OK, I’m stuck.’” Thus the Flash was taken out of mothballs.
However, Schwartz decided to do a new Flash with the same
power of super speed but having a new costume, new secret
identity, and a new origin. The new Flash was police scientist
Barry Allen who became a super speedster after being doused
by chemicals. This Flash’s costume was more aerodynamic, a
more standard superhero costume—a skin-tight red and yellow
suit with the Mercury/
Hermes hat replaced by
a cowl that covered his
head. He was revived
in Showcase (October
1956) and received his
own title in March 1959.
The definitive creators
of this Flash were two
veteran Flash artisans,
writer John Broome and
artist Carmine Infantino
(who set the pattern
for the illustration of
super-speed characters).
Over the years, Broome
created many memorable
villains,
including
Grodd, a super gorilla;
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
The Flash possesses the power to move at superhuman speed, and
can attain velocities equal to that of the speed of light (186,000
miles per second). His superhuman endurance enables him to
run great distances without tiring.
The Flash possesses an aura of unknown energy that protects
him from friction heat and the other adverse effects of motion at
super-speed. He also has absolute mental control of his body’s
atoms and molecules, and most often uses this power to vibrate
his atoms at such high speeds that they can slip past the atoms of
solid objects, enabling him to pass through such objects without
damaging them. The Flash can travel to other dimensions through
varying the vibratory rate of his atoms, and can also vibrate his
clothing and even another human he is holding through a solid
object or into another dimension with him.
The Flash has constructed a device called a “cosmic treadmill.”
By running on it, the Flash can set up special internal vibrations
within his body that protect him into other time periods. To
return to his own time, the Flash need only will these internal
vibrations to stop.
14
“Vengeance of the Immortal Villain,” The Flash 213 (March
1972)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
Comics on Display
“Duet of Danger,” The Flash 160 (April 1966), pp. 12-24.
Reprint of Golden Age Flash
“The Curse of the Dragon’s Eye,” The Flash 216 (June 1972)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin,
with Dick Giordano; includes “Anything Can Happen,” (reprint
of Golden Age Flash)
“One of Our Green Lanterns is Missing,” The Flash 168
(March 1967)
Story by John Broome; art by Carmine Infantino and Sid
Greene
“The Flying Samurai,” The Flash 180 (June 1968)
Story by Frank Robbins; art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
“Green Lantern: Master Criminal of the Universe,” The Flash
225 (January-February 1974)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano
“The Attack of the Samuroids,” The Flash 181 (August 1968)
Story by Frank Robbins; art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
“Heart of Stone,” Flash 2 (July 1987)
Story by Mike Baron; art by Jackson Guice
“Threat of the High Rise Buildings,” The Flash 185 (February
1969)
Story by Frank Robbins; art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
“Misdirection,” Flash 67 (August 1992)
Story by Mark Waid; art by Greg LaRocque and Jose Marzan, Jr.
The green lantern
on earth. The dying, red-skinned spaceman explained that he was
a “space-patrolman in the super-galactic system” and that the
ring was to be used “against forces of evil and injustice.” Jordan
took over the ring and the alien’s uniform (a more conservative
green and black jumpsuit) and became the Green Lantern. John
Broome was the original scriptwriter and Gil Kane the artist.
The Green Lantern was created by artist Martin Nodell and
writer Bill Finger and first appeared in All American (July
1940). Wearing a loud black, red, green, purple, brown and
yellow uniform, Alan Scott, a tall blond engineer, became the
Green Lantern by charging a “power ring” which gave him nearomnipotent qualities. The ring was, however, virtually useless
against wood and writers continually stressed this as the theme
of an adventure. Furthermore, the ring had to be re-charged
every 24 hours by touching it to a green lantern. Green Lantern
had a horde of interesting villains to go against, particularly
the Harlequin who wore a costume as outrageous as Green
Lantern’s. Solomon Grundy, a villain who was a Frankensteinlike monster, was another intriguing foe. During the Golden
Age, the superhero was drawn by dozens of artists none of
whom were noteworthy. He appeared in All American through
the October 1948 (102nd) issue, 48 stories in All-Star Comics
(as a member of the Justice Society of America) between Fall
1940 and March 1951, and Comic Cavalcade from Winter 1943
through November 1948. Green Lantern had his own magazine
from the fall of 1941 through 1949.
Over the next three decades the hero’s background was embellished.
Schwartz and Broome invented the Guardians of the Universe,
a group of immortals who established the Green Lantern Corps,
“a group of living beings chosen from all parts of the universe
to fight evil and given rings of power.” In the early 1970s Green
Lantern went through a
The new Green Lantern was first seen in Showcase (October
1959) and was part of DC’s Silver Age revival of Golden Age
characters. He moved into his own title in spring 1960. DC editor
Julius Schwartz recalled, “When the returns started coming in on
the Flash and we saw we had a hit, the natural instinct was to
do something similar. That’s how we decided to go ahead with
Green Lantern, and I worked out the same theory of giving him
a new personality, a new costume, a new everything.”
This reincarnation of the Green Lantern was test pilot Hal Jordan,
who received his ring and lantern from an alien who had crashed
15
“Challenge,” Tales of the Green Lantern Corps 1 (May 1981)
Story by Len Wein; art by John Costanza and Anthony Tollin
“relevance phase” and teamed up with Green Arrow to fight
social ills. Stories handled contemporary social problems and
topics like racism, politics, religion, cultism, and drug abuse.
Later Green Lantern broke free of Earth’s problems and worked
increasingly as part of the Green Lantern Corps, along with other
Green Lanterns from other parts of the universe. He appeared as
a member of the Justice League of America, DC’s Silver Age
group of superheroes who replaced the earlier Justice Society.
“Defeat,” Tales of the Green Lantern Corps 2 (June 1981)
Story by Len Wein; art by Ben Oda and Anthony Tollin
“Triumph,” Tales of the Green Lantern Corps 3 (July 1981)
Story by Len Wein; art by Ben Oda and Anthony Tollin
“Those Who Worship Evil’s Might,” Tales of the Green Lantern
Corps 1 (1985)
Story by Paul Kupperberg and Len Wein; art by Gil Kane and
Anthony Tollin
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
A skilled athlete and hand-to-hand combatant, Hal Jordan’s
principal weapon is the power ring he wears on the middle
finger of his right hand. After absorbing energy from the emerald
power battery from which the Green Lanterns take their name,
the ring is charged with power for a period of 24 hours and is
capable of doing almost anything its wearer can think of and
force into being through the power of his own will. Thus the
power ring can enable its wearer to fly, to create giant objects
formed of the ring’s emerald energy, and to survive the rigors of
deep space, among other uses. During this 24-hour period, the
power ring has only one weakness: due to a necessary impurity
in the construction of the power battery itself, the ring it utterly
ineffective against anything colored yellow. At the end of the
24 hours, the ring must be recharged at the battery to renew its
power.
“Red Alert,” Tales of the Green Lantern Corps 209 (February
1987)
Story by Steve Englehart; art by Joe Staton and Mark Farmer
Comics on Display
“The Green Lantern,” Flashback #30 (reprint of All-America
Comics #24 from 1941)
Story by Mart Dellon; art by Bill Finger
“This World is Mine!” Green Lantern 29 (June 1964)
“Once a Green Lantern, Always a Green Lantern,” 30 Green
Lantern (July 1964)
“Secret Origin of the Guardians!” Green Lantern 40 (October
1965)
Story by John Broome; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“Prince Peril’s Power Play,” Green Lantern 45 (June 1966)
Story by John Broome; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“The End of a Gladiator,” Green Lantern 47 (September 1966)
Story by John Broome; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“The Catastrophic Weapons of Major Disaster!” Green Lantern
57 (December 1967)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane
“Thoroughly Modern Mayhem!” Green Lantern 61 (June 1968)
Story by Mike Friedrich; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“Shelf Life,” Green Lantern 171 (December 1983)
Story by Noel Naïve; art by Alex Toth and Terry Austin
16
The green arrow
“A Slight Case of Vertigo!” Green Arrow 2 (June 1983)
Story by Mike W. Barr; art by Trevor von Eeden and Dick
Giordano
The Green Arrow was created by writer Mort Weisinger and
artist George Papp and made its first appearance in More Fun
(November 1941). Over the years the character has evolved from
fighting conventional crooks to social problems. Teamed with a boy
sidekick, Speedy, Green Arrow had an arrow for every occasion.
The character was not particularly successful and was bounced from
title to title until finally moving to a supporting feature in Adventure
Comics in 1946, staying there until early in 1960.
“Hexagon of Death,” Green Arrow 3 (July 1983)
Story by Mike W. Barr; art by Trevor von Eeden and Dick
Giordano
“Showdown at Sea,” Green Arrow 4 (August 1983)
Story by Mike W. Barr; art by Trevor von Eeden and Dick
Giordano
In the early 1960s, Green Arrow joined the Justice League of
America and began appearing in its magazine. At the end of the
decade he was redesigned by artist Neal Adams and started looking
and acting “like a hip, bearded rebel.” In 1970, working with
editor Julius Schwartz, Adams and writer Denny O’Neil took over
the Green Lantern title and teamed the hero with Green Arrow.
The magazine ushered in the era of social relevance at DC.
“Images,” Green Arrow 91 (November 1994)
Story by Kelley Puckett; art by Jim Aparo and John Costanza
“A Kind of Loving, A Way of Death,” Green Lantern/Green
Arrow 2 (November 1983)
Story by Denny O’Neil; art by Neal Adams and Frank Giacoia
Among the issues that O’Neil explored in his stories were racism,
overpopulation, and drug addition. The drug abuse problem was
dramatized in an unusual way when Speedy was revealed to be a
heroin addict. The relevant stories were popular with college-age
readers and won awards for both art and writing. Sales, though,
were poor and the crusading ceased by the mid-1970s. Another
theme instituted by O’Neil and Adams was Green Arrow’s
long-running romance with Black Canary. Green Arrow got a
miniseries of his own in 1983 and returned in 1988 in a regular
series written and first drawn by Mike Grell.
“Even an Immortal Can Die,” Green Lantern/Green Arrow 3
(December 1983)
Story by Denny O’Neil; art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano
“…and a Child Shall Destroy Them!” Green Lantern/Green
Arrow 4 (1983)
Story by Denny O’Neil; art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
“Snowbirds Don’t Fly,” Green Lantern/Green Arrow 5 (1983)
Story by Denny O’Neil; art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano
Green Arrow is the world’s greatest archer and employs an
extraordinary variety of specially designed arrows. Among
many others are his explosive arrows, arrows which release
smoke or knockout gas, arrows with strong, thin “arrow lines”
attached, and arrows carrying nets. He does not shoot arrows to
kill opponents.
“They Say It’ll Kill Me…But They Won’t Say When,” and
“What Can One Man Do?” Green Lantern/Green Arrow 6
(1983)
Story by Denny O’Neil;
art by Neal Adams
The Green Arrow is also a superb hand-to-hand combatant.
“…and Through Him
Save a World,” Green
Lantern/Green Arrow 7
(1983)
Story by Denny O’Neil;
art by Neal Adams
Comics on Display
“The Man Who Murdered Green Lantern,” Green Lantern 107
(August 1978)
Story by Robert Rozakis; art by Alex Saviuk and John Celardo
“Assault on Replikon,” Green Lantern 109 (October 1978)
Story by Denny O’Neil; art by Vince Grell and Vince Colletta
“How Many Times Can
a Man Turn His Head?”
The Brave and the Bold 4
(January 2000)
Story by Mark Waid and
Tom Peyer; art by Tom
Grindberg and Barry
Kitson
“All My Sins Remembered,” Green Arrow 1 (May 1983)
Story by Mike W. Barr; art by Trevor von Eeden and Dick
Giordano
17
hawkman
(Atom and Hawkman). He continued as a member of the Justice
League of America without Hawkgirl. There was a brief revival
of the Hawkman title in the mid-1980s and, in 1989, artistwriter Timothy Truman devised Hawkworld, which returned
Hawkman and Hawkgirl (as Katar and Shayera) to their home
planet Thanagar for rather somber science fiction adventures.
Hawkman was created for DC by writer Gardner Fox and was
first drawn by Dennis Neville. He made his first appearance
in Flash #1 (January 1940); his second in 1961 and both used
the alter ego, Carter Hall. The character wore a hawk-like
headgear and a huge pair of furry, feather-like wings. Carter
Hall was a reincarnation of the Egyptian Prince Khufu and his
flying powers were derived from an anti-gravity belt known
as “ninth” metal. He was able to communicate with birds and
eventually added a partner, Hawkgirl (Flash #24), in 1941.
The duo was fascinated with pseudo-Egyptian culture and their
fighting arsenal included crossbows, maces, axes, shields, and
spears—anything resembling ancient weaponry. The Golden
Age Hawkman specialized in odd and unusual investigations,
and encountered such antagonists as an off-planet giant, a talking
alligator god, a golden mummy, and purple monsters who lived
in New York’s harbor.
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
Hawkman can fly at great speed by means of his artificial wings
and anti-gravity belt. The anti-gravity belt also enables him to
lift enormous weights aloft.
Hawkman utilizes various Thanagarian weapons and has a
considerable knowledge of his homeworld’s advanced science.
He prefers to use duplicates of ancient Earth weapons in battle,
which he creates with a Thanagarian duplicator machine.
Most of the scripts were handled by Gardner Fox with Bob
Kanigher contributing several outstanding tales during the 19471949 period. After Dennis Neville left the strip, Hawkman was
drawn deftly by Sheldon Moldoff (late 1940 to early 1945), and
Joe Kubert (from late 1944 until 1949) who used unique layouts
and heavy blacks to give the strip a pleasing and appropriately
moody look. Hawkman was a major DC supporting feature and
lasted through all 104 issues of Flash, the last published in 1949.
Hawkman also appeared in All-Star comics from the first issue
through the last (Summer 1940-March 1951). He was a member
of the Justice Society of America.
On coming to Earth in pursuit of Byth, Hawkman learned all
Earth knowledge using a device called an absorbascon. With
effort he can retrieve any of it from his subconscious. The device
also taught him how to communicate with Earth’s birds.
Hawkman is a superb hand-to-hand combatant. His body has
been treated to withstand extreme temperatures and air friction.
He can survive unharmed in a vacuum for five minutes.
Comics on Display
“Return of the Death Goddess!” Hawkman 25 (April-May
1968)
Hawkman, following the Flash and Green Lantern, was brought
back in March 1961 (Brave and Bold #34). Carter Hall was cast
this time as a visiting
policeman from the
planet Thanagar. He
continued to use ancient
weaponry
although
he was now based in
an orbiting spaceship.
Hawkgirl also reappeared
and the artist was once
again Joe Kubert. After
several try-outs in Brave
and Bold, Hawkman was
given a regular feature
in Mystery in Space
(November 1967) and
his own title beginning
in April 1964. Murphy
Anderson
replaced
Kubert and Anderson’s
slick, pristine renditions
matched the character well. Hawkman folded in September
1968 as the Silver Age of Superheroes began to fade, but Carter
Hall was paired briefly with the Atom in a seven-issue run
“Last Stand on Thanagar,” Hawkman 26 (June-July 1968)
Story by Raymond Marais; art by Dick Dillin and Chuck
Cuidera
“When the Snow-Fiend
Strikes,” Hawkman 27
(August-September
1968)
“Earth’s Impossible
Day,” Adventure Comics
413 (December 1971)
Story by Gardner Fox;
art by Joe Kubert
“Adventures on Other
Worlds,” Showcase 103
(August 1978)
Story by Jack C. Harris;
art by Allen Milgrom
and Murphy Anderson
18
“The Mystery of the Mobile Museum,” The Brave and the Bold
164 (July 1980)
Story by J.M. De Matteis; art by Garcia Lopez and Steven
Mitchell
“Images,” Hawkworld 10 (April 1991)
Story by John Ostrander; art by Graham Nolan and Gary
Kwapisz
“Into the Flames: Flight’s End, Part 3,” Hawkworld 29
(December 1992)
Story by John Ostrander; art by Jan Duursema and Robert
Jones
“The Treasure of the Hawk-God’s Tomb,” The Brave and the
Bold 186 (May 1982)
Story by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn; art by Jim Aparo
“Secrets,” Hawkman 1 (August 1986)
Story by Tony Isabella; art by Richard Howell and Don Heck
“Final Chapter,” Hawkworld 32 (March 1993)
Story by John Ostrander; art by Timothy Truman and Timothy
Bradstreet
“Strange Worlds,” Hawkworld 6 (December 1990)
Story by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman; art by Graham
Nolan
“Bad Blood,” Hawkman Annual 1 (1993)
Story by John Ostrander; art by Jan Duursema, Steven Lieber,
and Rick Magyar
the atom
The Atom was introduced in All-American (October 1940) as
Al Pratt, a redheaded college student who stood just over five feet
tall. His schoolmates “constantly kid him about his small size”
and nicknamed him the “Atom.” Pratt vows to do something
about his weakling condition and undertakes a grueling regimen of
training and transforms himself into a muscleman who “now has
a tremendous strength that is unbelievable in one so small.” Pratt
adopts a costumed secret identity as the Atom and begins a career of
crime-fighting. His costume was a unique facet of his appearance,
featuring short leather trunks, leather wrist bands, a blue mask and
cape, and a yellow tunic open to the navel. As DC heroes went, the
Atom was one of the more anguished heroes of the 1940s since
hardly anyone treated his civilian self with any respect.
He also made sporadic appearances in Comic Cavalcade and
several other titles.
The new Atom was revived in Showcase (October 1961) as Ray
Palmer, a scientist who upon finding a piece of a white dwarf
star constructed a device which allowed him to change his size
and alter his weight. The new stories, mostly by John Broome
and Gardner Fox, concentrated on scientific plots and sub-plots.
For example, the Atom was able to transport himself through
telephone lines and there were several well-received “time pool”
stories. Chronos, the Atom’s major villain, was also scientifically
based.
Julius Schwartz, DC editor
who worked up the concept
with Fox, remembered, “I
always felt the Atom of
the 1940s was misnamed.
He was simply called the
Atom because he was a
short fellow. I got the idea
of having him a regular sixfooter able to reduce himself
to any size he wanted to. It
just struck us as we were
groping around for a theme
that wasn’t being done by
any superheroes.”
The stories consisted mainly of the macho Atom thrashing
criminals startled by the great strength in his tiny body. Artist
Joe Gallagher began drawing the
hero in 1942. His style suggested
more of the action than he
showed and his Atom stories
were rich with the props and
locations of the meaner edge of
big-city life: ashcans and alleys,
street cleaners, pushcarts, junk
wagons, tenements and shanties,
pool halls, junkyards, mom-andpop grocery stores, lampposts
and fire hydrants. He stayed
with the Atom for several years
and drew him as a member of
the Justice Society in All Star
Comics (Winter 1941 to March
1951). The Atom moved to Flash
Comics in 1947 and acquired a
new, flashier costume in 1948.
The Atom was given his
own magazine in the spring
of 1962. It became Atom
and Hawkman in 1968 and
folded the next year. There have been subsequent revivals,
including The Sword of the Atom which involved the hero in
19
“Stowaway on a Hot-Air Balloon,” The Atom 27 (OctoberNovember 1966)
Story by Gil Kane; art by Sid Greene
sword-and-sorcery adventures in a world where everybody is six
inches tall, and Power of the Atom, a short-lived series in 19881989. The character appeared regularly in the Justice League of
America.
“Meet Major Mynah!” The Atom 37 (June-July 1968)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
POWER AND WEAPONS (Silver Age)
The size and weight controls developed by Ray Palmer allow
him to reduce himself to any, even subatomic, size. When
changing size Palmer is also able to change his weight from
180 pounds to virtually nothing, though his average battle
size is six inches and six pounds.
While no expert, Palmer has mastered hand-to-hand combat
at a variety of sizes and weights and he has exhibited great
adaptability to fighting at any size.
“Ragnarok Night,” Super-Team Family 13 (October-November
1977)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by Arvell Jones and Romeo
Tanghal
Over time, the Mighty Mite has learned to use his size controls
to great advantage, including the ability to travel through phone
lines, allowing electronic impulses to move him along, or travel
through subatomic particles.
“The Case of the Innocent Thief,” The Brave and the Bold 115
(October-November 1974)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson
“The Corpse That Wouldn’t Die,” The Brave and the Bold 115
(October-November 1974)
Story by Bob Haney; art by Jim Aparo; and
“Death has a Golden Grab,” The Brave and the Bold 152 (July
1979)
Story by Bob Haney; art by Jim Aparo and Jerry Serpe
Comics on Display
“Thief With the Tricky Toy,” The Atom 23 (February-March
1966)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“Stormy Passage,” Sword of the Atom 1 (September 1983)
Story by Jan Strnad; art by Gil Kane
“The Atom-Destruction of the Earth,” The Atom 24 (April-May
1966)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“A Choice of Two Dooms,” Sword of the Atom 2 (October
1983)
Story by Jan Strnad; art by Gil Kane
“The Man in the Ion Mask,” The Atom 25 (June-July 1966)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“Mourning’s End,” Sword of the Atom 3 (November 1983)
Story by Jan Strnad; art by Gil Kane
“The Eye-Popping Perils of the Insect Bandit,” The Atom 26
(August-September 1966)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene
“Look Homeward, Atom,” Sword of the Atom 4 (December
1983)
Story by Jan Strnad; art by Gil Kane
20
the justice society of America
The Justice Society of America was created by editor Sheldon
Mayer and writer Gardner Fox and made its first appearance
in All-Star (Winter 1940). The group started a new trend in
comic books—the grouping of a company’s heroes in a single
adventure magazine. The group began with eight members:
Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, Sandman, Dr. Fate,
Spectre and the Atom. Over the years, however, many others
have entered and left the convocation. Batman and Superman
made their joint appearance here, and Black Canary, Dr. MidNite, Johnny Thunder, Mr. Terrific, Red Tornado, Starman,
Wildcat, and Wonder Woman all became members or made brief
cameo appearances.
The Justice Society came out of retirement in the Silver Age thanks
to the DC concept that the Golden Age characters and the Silver
Age characters existed in parallel worlds known as Earth-One and
Earth-Two. Now and then the JSA members joined up with their
Silver Age counterparts, the Justice League of America. The JSA
continues with its own magazine today.
Gardner Fox wrote 35 of the 57 adventures. The format for handling
so many characters became formularized: the heroes gathered for
an introductory chapter, were each defeated by their enemies in
an individual chapter, and finally reunited to defeat the villains in
the last chapter. The stories were idealistic as well as exciting with
a wide range of scenarios, including defending America against
spies, traveling to the planets, feeding the starving of Europe
and fighting such villains as the Brain Wave, the Psycho-Pirate,
and Solomon Grundy. The later writers of the JSA were Robert
Kanigher and John Broome. The final issue of All-Star was dated
February-March 1951.
“Countdown to Disaster!” Adventure Comics 465 (SeptemberOctober 1979)
Story by Paul Levitz; art by Joe Staton and Dave Hunt
Comics on Display
“The Revenge of Solomon Grundy!” Super-Team Family 4
(April-May 1976)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Irwin Hasen
“The Night of the Soul Thief,” Adventure Comics 463 (June
1979)
Story by Paul Levitz; art by Joe Staton and Dave Hunt
21
the justice league of america
When it became apparent that the revival of DC’s superheroes was
going to be a great commercial success, editor Julius Schwartz,
writer Gardiner Fox, and artist Mike Sekowsky combined to
create the Justice League of America, the Silver Age version of
the Golden Age Justice Society. The membership roster included
the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the
Martian Manhunter, Superman and Batman. The super group
(which inspired Marvel Comics to launch the Fantastic Four)
was introduced in The Brave and the Bold (March 1960).
America 49 (November 1966)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Mike Sekowsky and Sid Greene
For DC’s older fans, it
was a thrilling moment.
Many of them sent
letters of gratitude to the
company and it created
a revival of interest in
superhero comics among
people who would
normally have put such
things behind them.
“The Coming of…Starbreaker,” Justice League of America 96
(February 1972)
Story by Mike Friedrich; art by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella
“Missing in Action—5 Justice Leaguers!” Justice League of
America 52 (March 1967)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Mike Sekowsky and Sid Greene
“Where Valor Fails…Will Magic Triumph?” Justice League of
America 83 (September 1970)
“The Day the Earth Screams!” Justice League of America 97
(March 1972)
Story by Mike Friedrich; art by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella
“Crisis on Earth-X!” Justice League of America 107
(September-October 1973)
Story by Len Wein; art by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella
After three tryout issues,
the Justice League was
promoted to its own
magazine in the autumn
of 1960 (Justice League
of America). It continued
through the spring 1987
issue. A new comic,
titled Justice League, started up the following month. For a time
it was called Justice League International and in the spring of
1989 a separate magazine, Justice League Europe, was launched.
Like other super groups, the JLA experienced personnel changes
in the three-plus decades of its existence. Other heroes coming
on for a term included Green Arrow, Mr. Miracle, Blue Beetle,
the Red Tornado, Black Canary, Captain Atom, Rocket Red,
Captain Marvel, Elongated Man, and Booster Gold. As with
the Justice Society before them, the Justice League battled many
original villains, among them Felix Foust and the Royal Flush
Gang.
“Thirteen Against the Earth!” Justice League of America 108
(November-December 1973)
Story by Len Wein; art by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella
“Adam Strange…Strange Puppet of Time!” Justice League of
America 138 (January 1977)
Story by Cary Bates; art by Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin
“A Tale of Two Satellites!” Justice League of America 143
(June 1977)
Story by Steve Englehart; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
Comics on Display
“Crisis on Earth-A!” Justice League of America 38 (September
1965)
“Metamorpho Says ‘No!’” Justice League of America 42
(February 1966)
“The Bridge Between Earths!” Justice League of America 47
(September 1966)
Story by Gardner Fox; art by Mike Sekowsky and Sid Greene
“Threat of the True-or-False Sorcerer!” Justice League of
22
“Inner Mission,” Justice League of America 146 (September
1977)
Story by Steve Englehart; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
“Hunters and Prey,” Justice League of America 251 (June
1986)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by Luke McDonnell and Bill Wray
“Crisis in Triplicate!” Justice League of America 148
(November 1977)
Story by Martin Pasko; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
“The Show Must Go On…” Justice League Special 1 (1990)
Story by Len Wein; art by Joe Phillips and Bruce D. Patterson
“The Man Who Wears the Star,” Justice League Europe 28
(July 1991)
Story by Gerard Jones; art by Bart Sears and Randy Elliott
“Under the Moons of Earth!” Justice League of America 155
(June 1978)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
“Red Winter: A Wind From the East,” Justice League Europe
45 (December 1992)
Story by Gerard Jones; art by Ron Randall and Randy Elliott
“The Fiend with Five Faces!” Justice League of America 156
(July 1978)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
“Split Hit,” Justice League Task Force 2 (July 1993)
Story by David Michelinie; art by Sal Velluto and Jeff Albrecht
“The Murderer Among Us: Crisis Above Earth-One!” Justice
League of America 171 (October 1979)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
“The Arsenal of Souls,” Justice League Task Force 4
(September 1993)
Story by Chuck Dixon; art by Gabriel Morrissette and Dick
Giordano
“I Accuse…” Justice League of America 172 (November 1979)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by Dick Dillin and Frank
McLaughlin
“How Green Was My Daalie?” Justice League Task Force 8
(January 1994)
Story by Peter David; art by Sal Velluto and Jeff Albrecht
“A League Divided” Justice League of America 200 (March
1982)
Story by Gerry Conway; art by George Perez and Brett
Breeding
23
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Prepared by Laurie Taylor, Trena Houp, Cathlena Martin
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